Death Takes a Holiday S4
by Bad Day at Black Rock
Summary: Trust your instincts, there's no such thing as miracles.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: These fics are based on real episodes from Supernatural. The characters and plots belong to the creator and writers for the show. If you want background on the new character you can read the previous episodes.

Death Takes a Holiday

Her eyes were on Dean at the jukebox while he pounded at it, trying to get it to cooperate. She knew he was still mentally fuming over what Sam had said and with good reason. He turned towards them and caught her watching him; he flashed a smile before coming back to the table. Sam was just getting off the phone with Bobby.

"What's up?" Dean sat next to Kayla.

"Bobby found something in Wyoming."

"Like a job?"

"Maybe. Small town, no one's died in the past week and a half."

Kayla started to say something but didn't, juvenile as it may be she wasn't really in the mood to talk to Sam.

"Why is that unusual?"

"Well, it's how they're not dying. One guy with terminal cancer walks right out of hospice, another guy gets capped by a mugger and walks away without a scratch. He was shot in the heart at point blank range with a nine millimeter."

"And he's not a donut?"

"They're saying it's a miracle. Maybe they're making deals with demons."

Dean shrugged. "Maybe."

"What else would it be?" He shrugged again. "Okay, get that to go." Sam gathered his laptop and stood up. "Come on. What?" Dean wasn't moving from the table.

"You sure you want me going with you?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Ah, I don't know, I don't wanna be holding you back or nothing."

Kayla fought back a smirk.

"Dude I've told you a hundred times, it was the siren talking, not me. Can we get past this?"

"Yeah, we're past it."

The interview with the gunshot victim wasn't much help as far as clues. He had no idea why he wasn't dead and he didn't see anything strange. The guy hadn't made any deals, hell, he thought God was giving him a second chance at life. Said he felt like angels were watching over him.

After some research Dean found that the last person who died in this town was Cole Griffin, a young boy who'd died of an asthma attack. Sam wanted to conjure up his spirit to see if he had seen anything strange. Now they were interviewing the dead, that wasn't strange at all.


	2. Chapter 2

"You sure this is going to work?" Dean watched as Sam lit the candles next to the tombstone.

"No, but if the spirit's around, this should smoke him out."

Dean grimaced and closed the book.

"What?"

"This job is jacked, that's what. I mean, you want me to gank a monster or torch a corpse, hell, let's light it up. But this? We fix this, and people are gonna start dropping dead. Good people."

"I don't want them to die either Dean but, there's a natural order."

"I know you didn't just say that." Kayla threw in, she couldn't stop herself.

"What?"

"You guys have died…more than once."

Dean nodded. "We are kind of the walking posterboards for the unnatural order."

"But the rules don't really apply to us, do they?"

"So you guys are the only ones special enough to be death proof?"

Sam looked at her. "Don't say it like that, you got jerked out of your end game too you know."

"We're no different from everyone else." Dean stated.

"I'm infected with demon blood. Kayla got healed by an angel. You went to hell! I know you want to think of yourself as Joe the Plumber but you're not. None of us are and the sooner you accept that, the better off you're going to be."

Kayla sighed. "It doesn't make us better than them."

"Joe the Plumber was a douche."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Help me finish this."

"Hey!" A man's voice yelled from behind them. They turned. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, um, just take it easy." Sam told him.

"What the hell is this?" He looked at the candles.

"Oh this…" Dean motioned to the ground and stuttered. "This is not what it looks like." He chuckled nervously.

"Really. Because it looks like devil worship."

"What?" Kayla laughed. "No."

"Definitely not." Dean added. "This, this is…I don't have a good answer."

Sam swallowed. "We're leaving."

"Oh you're not going anywhere." They all looked at him. "Ever, again, Sam."

Kayla watched his eyes change white and inadvertently stepped back. She tried not to but she couldn't stop the reaction.

"Alastair." Dean tightened his fists.

He smiled slightly. "Hey guys, it's been too long. Kayla, how are you sweetheart?"

"Don't even look at her." Dean snapped.

"That's okay, no time to chat. Got a hot date with death." He raised his hand and sent Dean flying, he hit his head on a gravestone and was knocked out. He knew by the look on Kayla's face she wasn't trying anything. He turned to Sam and waved his hand once, twice, nothing. "You're stronger Sam, you been soul flexing with your little slut?"

"You have no idea."

Kayla was kneeled next to Dean but she saw it, it was kind of shocking. Sam waved his hand and sent _Alastair_ off the ground and against a tree. He raised his hand to exorcise him, but Alastair ditched the body and fast.

"Sam how'd you do that?"

He paused. "Is he okay?"

"He's breathing. Sam."

"I don't know Kayla, maybe an adrenaline thing."

She knew he was lying and was starting not to give a damn. "We need to get him back to the room."

Sam helped get him back to the motel and dropped them off, Dean was still out so he suggested Kayla stay to keep an eye on him while he tried to finish the spirit conjuring. When Dean did come to, he wasn't feeling so hot. He groaned loudly as he opened his eyes.

Kayla looked over and sat up, immediately handing him the glass of water that was on the table. "Hey."

"Augh." He groaned and drank some of the water.

"How's your head?" She went to the fridge and pulled a small bag of ice out.

"It hurts…a lot…" He took the bag and pressed it to his head before laying back down. "Thank you. How long have I been out?"

"A couple hours, Sam went to try to find that ghost kid again."

"Yeah? Well what…"

Sam walked in, he laughed a little when he saw Dean still laid out on the bed. "How you doing?"

"I'm in pain, I think I have a concussion."

"You want some aspirin?"

"No thanks House." Dean sat up and took the ice from his head. "I can't believe we're dealing with demons."

"Yeah, so much for miracles."

"So what _did_ happen with Alastair?"

Sam glanced to Kayla. "Well he tried to fling me and he couldn't so he bailed."

"Yeah? How come he couldn't fling you? He chucked you pretty good last time."

"I got no idea."

Kayla threw her hands up. "Are you _seriously_ going to just leave out the part where you flung Alastair across that cemetery like a damn rag doll?"

"Do you have to tell him everything?!"

"When did you become such a dick?"

"Wait," Dean cut them off. "You flung him? How'd you do that?"

"Like I told Kayla. I don't know. Maybe it was just the adrenaline rush."

Dean paused. "Whatever."

Now that everyone was in a piss poor mood again, Sam told them about his conversation with Bobby. They were in agreement that the local reaper was gone, kidnapped in fact. Bobby found an obscure version of Revelations that held a passage suggesting that if a reaper is killed under the solstice moon, it breaks one of the seals. The solstice moon is tomorrow night.

"What I want to know," Sam set the book aside. "Is where the angels are, we could use their help for once."

"I bet if you called him he'd come." Dean nudged Kayla with a smirk.

"Don't be jealous your angel likes me more than you."

He chuckled. "We'll just have to take care of this one ourselves."


	3. Chapter 3

They recruited Pamela, who was less than willing but definitely more than able to help them carry out the insane plan Dean came up with. The only ones who could see reapers were the dead or dying, so he decided they should become ghosts. She was in a pissy mood but agreed to help them basically take the souls out of their bodies.

After the incantation Pamela leaned back with a sigh. "All right boys, that's it. Show time."

Dean sat up. "Well so much for shooting blanks. What's plan B?" Pamela didn't answer.

"Dean."

He looked at Kayla and followed her gaze, his body was still laying in the bed next to hers. She'd really pulled it off.

"I assume you guys made it, just remember I have to bring you back. I'll whisper the incantation in your ear."

They scoured the town for hours and all they found was that no one could see them, they couldn't touch anything or even each other for that matter. This definitely wasn't the way to get anything accomplished.

"Hey," Sam stopped them. "The kid in the window, am I crazy or is he looking at us?"

Dean looked up. "Because we've seen him before. Cole Griffin, the last person to die in this town."

They went into the house and up to the bedroom where they'd seen him, just in time to pass presumably his mother and see Cole throwing balls at the door.

"How are you doing that?" Dean asked him.

"Who are you?"

"Relax Cole, it's okay."

"How do you know my name?"

"Listen," Sam started. "This isn't going to be easy to hear. But you're dead, you're a spirit, us too."

"Yeah thanks Haley Joel, I know I'm dead. What do you want?"

"I like him." Kayla nodded. "We just want to talk to you."

Cole told them about his death from an asthma attack and how the reaper had come to him, trying to get him to follow him. He didn't want to go, but before he could take him black smoke filled the room and the reaper disappeared. As he was telling his story the lights began to flicker.

"They're back." Cole disappeared.

They looked to the door and saw the white swirl of movement go up the stairs.

"Another reaper." Dean ran towards the stairs. "Hey! We need to talk to you!"

A woman came walking calmly down the stairs. "Dean."

"Do I know you?"

"We go way back." She came into the living room. "You don't remember me?"

"Honestly, if I had a nickel for every time I heard a girl…" he looked at Kayla and cleared his throat. "No, I don't remember you. You'll have to freshen my memory."

She stepped forward and kissed him, Kayla threw her hands up and muttered under her breath. "I'm about to ditch both your dumb asses."

Dean stepped back. "Tessa."

"You do know her."

"From the hospital, after the accident. So this is the reaper that came after you."

"Yeah."

Tessa shrugged. "Well this was fun. But I…"

"No." Dean stopped her. "You can't take the kid. Demons are in town, they already snatched your reaper friend. The kid knows where."

"So? This town is off the rails, someone has to set it straight."

"We understand that, but these are special circumstances."

"What, your whole angel-demon dance off? I could care less. I just want to do my job."

Sam sighed. "And we wanna help you do your job so if you could just bail town…"

"No."

"Could you at least hold off until we fix this? Please."

She paused and sighed quietly. "Fine, but when I start reaping again, I'm starting with the kid."

Sam nodded. "Understood, I'll find him.

Dean looked over his shoulder. "What are you gonna say?"

"Whatever I have to. Kayla I could use your help."

She glanced between Dean and the reaper and headed up the stairs after Sam.

Tessa looked him over. "It's funny you and me running into each other again. You're the one who got away Dean. You'd be surprised at how little that happens to me."

"Yeah well, I think it would have been better if I'd just gone with you."

"Oh yeah? You seemed pretty against it."

He shook his head. "The pain of losing my father, then Sammy…I went through hell, then what Kayla had to go through...I just wish I would have gone with you for good."

"Remember that next time."

He shrugged. "Things are different now."

"What, because you've got an angel on your shoulder?"

"So you know about that huh?" He grimaced. "I don't know, I've horrible things but someone upstairs still decided to give me a second chance. It just makes me feel…I don't know."

Sam and Kayla came down the stairs with Cole.

"Hey Cole." Tessa smiled at him. "I'm Tessa, I'm not going to hurt you."

"It's okay Cole, just tell them what you told us." Sam said softly.

"I saw the smoke at my funeral, at the funeral home. It was everywhere."

Apparently the smoke had been listening. It filtered in through the front door and surrounded them, then made an exit just as quickly. Tessa was gone. They definitely needed to learn how to be a pissed off ghost before tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean stared at the small windmill on the porch. He stared, and stared some more…that damn thing just wasn't moving.

"It's not going to move if you don't concentrate." Cole told him.

"I am concentrating." He stared at it again, this time making it spin about a quarter turn. "Oh yeah baby!"

"You pull a muscle?"

"Alright Yoda let's see what you got."

The windmill started spinning, the swing started swinging and the chimes blew back and forth. After a moment it stopped.

"Dude! You are so Amityville."

"This isn't even the good stuff." He punched Dean in the arm.

Kayla laughed. She looked at the windmill and watched it start spinning.

"Even your girlfriend could do it." Cole smirked.

Dean shoved his shoulder, pushing him back a little.

"Good start." He grinned. "Let's go inside."

So Cole did a crash course on how to be a ghost. Complete with moving objects and disappearing at will. It was a good time, considering how crazy it was.

As they walked down the street that night Dean grabbed Kayla by the wrist. "Just one more time, I can do it."

Sam sighed, sounding frustrated while Kayla giggled quietly. "Okay."

Dean leaned in slowly, concentrating as he kissed her softly. She kissed him and slid her arms around his neck, making full contact without just passing through.

"Can we focus?" Sam asked them.

Dean smirked and leaned back. "I'm totally focused."

They stopped in front of the funeral home, which from their perspective was covered in graffiti.

"Can't anyone see this?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe it's demon invisible ink. Can only be seen in the veil."

"What's it for?"

"One way to find out."

They went into the parlor and found Tessa, along with the other reaper lying unconscious in a symbol painted on the floor. There was a man standing guard, maybe a demon.

Dean smirked. "Dude, check me out." He walked towards him, disappearing as he went. He appeared next to the man and tapped him on the shoulder, when he turned Dean punched him in the face and disappeared again. Sam appeared on his other side and punched him again before Dean reappeared to help. They followed him to the casket sitting on display. "This ghost thing is kind of rad."

"Yeah that was totally hot." Kayla agreed from near the reapers.

Suddenly another man was there and pulling a chain up around them. They couldn't escape it in time.

"Dean?" Kayla stepped forward.

"It's iron. Stay back."

"Guys." They looked to yet another man entering the room. "Find the place okay?" His eyes turned white.

"Kayla get out."

Alastair picked up a shotgun and aimed it at her.

"Leave her out of this!"

He shot her with the rock salt. She disappeared momentarily before phasing back in. "Rock salt's not so much fun now is it?" He approached her, his grin only widening as she back up against the wall.

"Phase out! Kayla!" Dean yelled at her, trying to snap her out of it.

But she couldn't move, she was frozen with fear as he got closer.

"Did you miss me?"

She swallowed hard. "Fuck you."

He raised his eyebrows. "Didn't know you were interested. Take after Sam huh?"

"You're hilarious." He reached for her and she disappeared, he still smiled as he turned back to the boys. "Stronger than I thought she'd be, given the short time she's had to recover." Alastair walked up to them, staring Sam down. "Why don't you try some of your mojo on me now hotshot? It's hard to get it up when you're not wearing your meat huh?"

"Go to hell."

"Wish I could. They keep sending me back up to this arctic crap hole."

"So you can kill death."

"No, so I can kill death twice. It takes two."


	5. Chapter 5

Kayla phased back into the hotel room with Pamela. She had to get back into her body, she had to get the angels on this. When she appeared there was a man in the room coming up behind Pamela, who she promptly hit with the lamp.

"Pamela wake us up!" She knew she couldn't hear them.

But the idea was clear, she'd known someone else was in the room, someone who was after her. She leapt to the bed and whispered the incantation in Sam's ear.

The man went for her again and Kayla attacked him, punching him in the jaw before disappearing again. Sam sat up suddenly but neither of them could get to Pamela in time, before the man drove the dagger into her stomach. Sam slung him across the room as it wasn't a man, but a demon. He raised his hand and quickly exorcised it, then went to help Pamela.

Hell. Kayla phased out to find Dean. The funeral home was empty when she got there and she walked outside, where Castiel was standing on the sidewalk.

He nodded to her. "Come with me."

He took her hand and suddenly they were on a rooftop overlooking an empty street.

"What are we doing?"

"Wait."

Dean came into the street and was cut off by Alastair.

"You can't run Dean, I'm inside that angsty little noggin of yours."

She looked at Castiel but he was looking up, muttering under his breath. A roll of thunder echoed through the buildings and Alastair was hit by what appeared to be lightning, before disappearing altogether.

Dean stared at the spot where Alastair had stood. "What the hell?"

Castiel moved them down to the street where Dean stood. "Guess again."

Kayla walked over and hugged him, thankful Alastair hadn't gotten a hold of anyone. He kissed her but still looked confused.

"What just happened?" Castiel looked at him. "You just saved a seal. We captured Alastair. Dean, this was a victory."

"Well no thanks to you."

His brow furrowed, could he do nothing to please him? "What makes you say that?"

"You were here the whole time?"

"Enough of it."

"Well thanks for your help with the rock salt."

"That script on the funeral home, we couldn't penetrate it."

"It was angel proofing."

He nodded. "Why do you think I recruited you in the first place?"

"You recruited us?"

"It wasn't Bobby who told Sam about the seal."

"If you wanted our help, why the hell didn't you just ask?"

"Because whatever I ask, you seem to do the exact opposite."

Dean glanced at Kayla, who shrugged in agreement. He had a point. "So what, people in this town are just gonna start dying again?"

"Yes."

"These are good people. Can't you make some exceptions?"

"To everything there is a season."

"You made exceptions for us."

"You're different." He nodded to Kayla. "You don't have to be afraid of him anymore, we have him."

She nodded with a small smile. "Thank you."

Someone was appreciative. He looked like he might say something, then caught himself and disappeared just as Tessa was approaching.

"I think he wanted a hug." Kayla smiled.

Dean laughed. "Yeah, that's why he took off so fast right?" He looked at Tessa. "Well hey."

"I could use your help with Cole."


	6. Chapter 6

Shortly after they convinced Cole to go with Tessa, Dean and Kayla woke up back in the motel room. Pamela was bleeding from the wound in her stomach.

"What happened?" Dean leaned over.

"Pamela I'm sorry." Kayla whimpered. "I couldn't get to him in time."

"You tried sweetheart, you both tried."

"You don't deserve this." Sam sighed.

"No, I don't. I told you I didn't want anything to do with this. Do me a favor? Tell that bastard Bobby Singer to go to hell for introducing me to you guys in the first place." She started coughing.

"Take it easy Pamela. If it's any consolation you're going to a better place."

She looked towards Dean. "You're lying. But what the hell right? Everybody's gotta go sometime." She motioned for Sam. "Come here." She pulled him in and whispered in his ear before she started coughing again, then leaned back against the wall. Pamela was quiet.

"Pamela?"

"Shit." Kayla breathed. She couldn't believe they lost her. Couldn't they save anyone anymore?


End file.
